Direct quantitative judgments of sums and a two-stage model for psychophysical judgments

Judged magnitudes of differences between stimuli have previously been shown to support a two-stage interpretation of magnitude estimation, in which input transformations and output transformations are each describable as power functions. In an effort to provide support for the model independent of the difference estimation procedure. the present investigation employed two additional judgment tasks. We obtained magnitude judgments and category judgments of the combined magnitudes (sums) of paired weights from two groups of Ss. Values of the inferred input exponent k calculated from the two sets of data were very similar and were also remarkably similar to the exponent previously calculated from magnitude estimations of differences between weights. The output exponent calculated from magnitude judgments of sums described a concave upward function; however. the similar function describing category judgments was essentially linear. These results show that the inferred input exponent is not the result of the difference estimation task, and in addition provides support for the contention that the interval scale may be a less biased sensory measure than the magnitude scale. The introduction of an additive constant to the model improved its fit to the data but the rule by which it was introduced made very little difference.     

Behavioral and Attitudinal Correlates of Masculinity: A National Survey of Male Counselors

In this study the authors investigated the relationship between the Male Role Norm Scales (MRNS; Thompson & Pleck, 1987) and gender-related attitudes and behaviors in a sample of 367 male counselors drawn from American Counseling Association (ACA), formerly the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD), members. Results indicated that this group of men did not, in general, endorse traditional male roles as measured by the MRNS. When a degree of affiliation with these roles was found, however, it was predictive of violence proneness, intimacy style, and degree of perceived similarity to father. Implications for training and counseling are discussed.     

Plots, Personnel, and Relationships: More on the Introduction of Narrative Ideas in Human Service Organizations and Other Systems

In a follow-up to Juba (1997), the author suggests how a direct service practitioner can use Gustafson's (1992, 1995) concept of plot to help introduce narrative ideas within human service organizations and other systems. A general procedure is described and the concept is used to help practitioners develop specific strategies which may facilitate steps toward such introduction.     

Judgments of average lightness and darkness: A further consideration of inverse attributes

Twenty subjects judged the average lightness and darkness of paired Munsell gray papers according to magnitude estimation and category rating instructions. The data from category rating were approximately consistent with an averaging model but those from magnitude estimation were not. An analysis in terms of a two-stage model suggested that category ratings and magnitude estimates of each attribute were produced on the basis of the same composition rule, but implicated different output transformations. In judging darkness, subjects appeared to have reversed the scales employed in judging lightness, by a linear transformation in the case of category rating and by a reciprocal transformation in the case of magnitude estimation. However, differences between the input parameters obtained from judgments of lightness and darkness suggested that the scales of these attributes constructed from judgments of average magnitude may be biased.     

Fechner’s paradox reflects a nonmonotone relation between binocular brightness and luminance

Twenty subjects judged the brightness of binocularly fused targets whose monocular luminances were varied independently. On each trial, the left eye was presented with one of two relatively high luminances and the right eye was presented with one of 15 luminances from the range in which Fechner’s paradox is effective. The objective of the experiment was to determine whether the psychophysical function over this range was nonmonotonic and Ll-shaped, as implied by several models of binocular brightness, or monotone increasing, but discontinuous at zero right-eye luminance. The functions associated with both left-eye intensities were found to be nonmonotone. Both minima were near the upper bound of the mesopic range.     

The inferiority game: Perceptions and behavior

Other-sex perceptions and actual reported behavior of 318 college males and 287 college females were compared for four dating situations. The average degree of inaccuracy (disregarding direction) for males was 29.0%, while for women it was 12.5%. Conclusions support other research indicating superior role-taking ability on the part of females. The issues of cultural transmission and pluralistic ignorance are discussed as they affect male and female interaction. Important research implications for human relations and the family in particular are noted.     

Judgment of duration relations: Simultaneous and sequential presentation

Four groups of subjects gave category ratings of total duration, average duration, or difference in duration of pairs of temporal intervals presented either simultaneously or successively. The results indicated that temporal information is combined in very different ways, depending on whether the members of the pairs must be monitored in parallel or sequentially. While judgments of successively presented intervals were reasonably consistent with the predictions of the appropriate linear models, judgments of simultaneously presented intervals were not. The latter judgments conformed more closely to the predictions of a vector sum model. These results appear to be in conflict with a model of duration perception recently proposed by Eisler (1975) based on the assumption that judgment of temporal intervals involves a simultaneous monitoring of two intervals even when the intervals to be compared are presented successively.     

Fight the power: A heuristic exploration of systemic racism through dreams

Systemic racism, like many forms of difference and diversity, is poorly understood within the realms of counselling and psychotherapy. Whereas our profession has shied away from using its skills to explore the meaning and relevance of racism, this author over a number of years has studied many forms of intersectional otherness and recognises that racism is as much a relational experience between subject and other, both internally and externally. This paper therefore explores how an internalised experience of systemic racism can be understood through client work and dreamwork, offering ideas as to how the dreams of the racialised other may be understood; the symbolism, and the relevance of the racial complex hidden within them.     

Judgments of average magnitude: Analyses in terms of the functional measurement and two-stage models

Subjects made magnitude estimates of the average loudness of pairs of 1,000-Hz tones varying in sound pressure. A test of fit of an averaging model employing an analysis of variance suggested that the judgments were internally consistent. However, estimates of the parameters of a two-stage model based on the assumption that power transformations were imposed in both input and output implied a nonlinear output function, inconsistent with the averaging model. Additional analyses employing a nonmetric scaling solution also suggested that output was nonlinear, indicating that this implication was not an artifact of the strong assumptions of the two-stage model. Large differences were found among the output functions of individual subjects, and it was suggested that these may have inflated the error term in the analysis of variance, reducing its power to detect violations of the additive model. Similar analyses were performed on data from judgments of average grayness collected by Weiss (1972).     

Traffic congestion,driver stress,and driver aggression

Drivers were interviewed over cellular telephones in high‐ and low‐congestion conditions during a single commute. During each interview, state measures of driver stress and driver behaviors were obtained. Behavior responses were subdivided into six categories: aggressive, information seeking, planning, minor self‐destructive, distraction, and relaxation techniques. Both state driver stress and aggression were greater in high‐ than in low‐congestion conditions. No other behavior category differed between low and high congestion. Multiple regressions were calculated to determine the predictors of state driver stress. In low congestion, time urgency predicted state driver stress, while aggression predicted driver stress in high congestion. In both conditions, a trait susceptibility toward viewing driving as generally stressful was predictive of state driver stress levels, which further strengthens the use of the Driving Behaviour Inventory—General as a predictor of “trait” driver stress. Females and males did not differentiate on state stress or any behavior category. Aggr. Behav. 25:409–423, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.